I received an email from an Internet friend via my other ministry site (www.mustardseedministry.com) asking me how I determine if what I am doing is within the plans God has for me. Here’s my quick reply to him for knowing you are within God’s plans for your life:
There is a Biblical model for identifying potential leaders. It is found in Exodus 18:21. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, had advised Moses to recruit some leaders. Then he told him what type of people to look for.
Some of my best growth times with the Lord have been during teaching times with my children. I remember when my son asked an important question, “Daddy, what is the ‘will of God’?”
It also seems that Jesus lived His life that way as well. He was always telling of His love, but He never seemed to brag about His strength, but news of His love and strength spread quickly throughout the world at the time.
The battle between legalism and grace is always difficult. Are we to live holy and righteous lives? Absolutely. Are we to be in the world and friends of sinners? If we want to be like Jesus we should. Does God forgive us when we sin? Thankfully. Finding the delicate balance between those two extremes is difficult.
I think it’s important to understand that different people relax, unwind, and rest differently. For example, I’m a power nap guy. Give me 15 minutes and I’m good to go for hours. If Cheryl, on the other hand, decides to take a nap, she’s down for a while. The same is true of how I would spend my unproductive day and how you would.
I have been encouraging people to dream big dreams for years. I think part of the reason I want others to dream is so that I am justified in my own desire to dream. I believe dreaming encourages the heart and keeps a mind fresh. As we begin another year, I hope you have some big dreams. You will never have a dream for your life bigger than God’s dream for you.
Who are you as a leader? Determining the type leader you are is often as important as the leadership you provide. Every leader needs to understand his or her individual strengths and weaknesses, and the skills he or she has and does not have. It is also important to understand the style of leadership you aspire to and what you expect of followers and would think they expect of you.
Yesterday’s message at Grace Community Church was about having and keeping a vision for your life. The summary points were:
I am not a selfish person usually, although I guess we all are to a certain extent. Still, there are some things I want more of in my life in the year 2009. All of these stem from what I really want to accomplish in life. I have thought a lot recently, while preparing for the first message of the New Year at Grace, about what matters most in my life. Here’s my list of “more”.
